The present invention relates to the general field of holding tools, and specifically to a vise for engaging watch movements, fine jewelry and the like. This application thus discloses a portable vise system with component engaging jaw accessories used, for example for holding articles during repair and/or work thereon.
It is common for vises, tools, vise adapters and the like to be employed for holding watch movements, fine jewelry or small mechanical parts for purposes of maintenance and/or repair. These vises are useful for firmly restraining the article on which work is being performed as well as freeing the hands of the individual performing the work. In order to be particularly useful, such vises must not damage the article being held, yet hold it firmly enough that a significant amount of force may be used when necessary to effect the job.
Various watch repair and maintenance functions are commonly performed on watches and many of these functions require the use of or may be greatly assisted by the use of a multitude of holding devices. For example, various catalogs describe watch holding devices commonly known as case openers, case presses, case wrenches and the like. However, excessive clamping between rigid clamp jaw faces may damage the article. Accordingly, a need exists for a unitary tool of vise construction that may be utilized to firmly support all types of watch cases, other watch components or various articles without imparting damage thereto. Also, a need exists for a vise construction with which various repair and maintenance function supporting adapters may be conveniently used to assist in the maintenance and repair of such small and delicate articles.
This invention relates to a vise with engaging jaw accessories specifically adapted for use with watch movements, fine jewelry, small mechanical parts, ceramic or composite circuit boards and/or other delicate articles that may have irregular shapes without causing damage thereto. With the vise disclosed herein, the user may properly position, easily and firmly hold the article upon which work is to be performed, thereby facilitating complete and efficient access to the article. Additionally, engaging jaw accessories may be easily interchanged for use therewith.
The prior art disclosed several different types of watchmaker""s tools and movement holders/vises. U.S. Pat. No. 87,868 to Murray, entitled IMPROVED WATCHMAKER""S TOOL, discloses a tool for straightening the pivots to the wheels of a watch-movement, for trimming off, to finish the ends or heads to the pivots and for finishing the wheels.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,677,292 to Mongelli, entitled WATCH REPAIRMAN""S WORK HOLDER, disclosed a movement holder and support having an adjustable clamp.
A clamping device designed for use with wrist watch movements regardless of size or shape is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,178,296 to Argo, entitled WRISTWATCH MOVEMENT HOLDER.
Dulaney (U.S. Pat. No. 2,261,055) discloses a portable adjustable vise for supporting a watch movement that has been removed from its case in WATCH MOVEMENT HOLDER.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,333,114 to Meyer, entitled VISE, disclosed a vise having jaws adapted for holding xe2x80x9csmall articles, such as the movements of time pieces.xe2x80x9d
A WATCH AND JEWELER""S VISE is described in U.S. Pat. No. 2,366,519 to Greenberg, wherein a vise having slidably mounted jaws and chucks with shaped section for gripping watch parts is disclosed.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,464,375 to Clark, entitled HOLDER FOR WATCH MOVEMENTS, discloses an adjustable holder adapted for standard sized movements.
A WATCH MOVEMENT HOLDER is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,471,103 to Franks et al., said holder accommodating various sizes and shapes of watch movements. Another WATCH MOVEMENT HOLDER is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,571,176, said holder positively engaging and locking a watch movement in place with engaging arms that are rotably attached to laterally adjustable supports. Yet another WATCH MOVEMENT HOLDER is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,848,484, said holder comprising a universal holder adaptable to mechanical, electric or electronic watch movements.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,672,775 to Koski, entitled WATCHMAKER""S VISE, discloses a vise adapted in particular for removing roller tables from balance wheel staffs.
A JIG FOR WORKING ON WATCHBANDS is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 689,056 to Wiltgen.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,930,427 to Addor discloses an APPARATUS FOR SCREWING AND UNSCREWING THE BOTTOMS OF WATCH CASINGS.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,388,082 to Chou, entitled WATCHCASE BACK OPENER, discloses an opener incorporating vise apparatus.
Possibly the most relevant prior art relating to the instant invention is U.S. Pat. No. 4,226,144 to Applicant Pliley, specifically incorporated herein by reference in its entirety, in which the precursor to the instant invention is described and claimed.
Shortcomings found in the prior art include, for example, adaptation to a specific size or shape of article, lack of sufficient grip strength, causing damage to the article being held and positional instability of the vise. The present invention overcomes these drawbacks by integral incorporation of portability, adjustability, stability and superior gripping ability without causing damage. The vise of the instant invention overcomes the limitations of the prior art by combining numerous component engaging jaw accessories tools into a single portable vise that is optionally mounted in a stable base portion having a non-slip bottom. The assembly of the instant invention is highly suitable for the above-stated purposes. While prior art devices may be suitable for gripping, e.g., watch cases and movements, the prior art falls short in the areas of causing damage, adapting to infinite sizes and/or shapes of articles to be held, portability, stability and ease and efficiency of use. The present invention provides a portable vise having sufficient gripping strength to hold various article without causing damage thereto, the vise being adapted for use with conventional and unconventional watches, watch cases and movements of various sizes and shapes and adapted to receive accessories useful in the maintenance, repair, adjustment and other procedures typically performed on watches and/or watch movements, in addition to numerous other articles of manufacture.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a vise construction that is effectively designed for supporting and clamping watches and watch movements, regardless of the size and shape thereof, in a manner whereby the clamping engagement is affected with sufficient pressure against the movement without causing damage thereto. An additional object of the present invention is to provide a portable and adjustable vise comprising a vise portion and, optionally, a stable, non-slipping base portion that readily rests on any flat surface and is capable of accommodating various component-engaging jaw accessories.
Another object of this invention is to provide a maintenance and repair function supportive vise for use in conjunction with watches and which conforms to conventional forms of manufacture, that is simple in construction, inexpensive to manufacture, easy to use and extremely efficient in use, operation and service so as to provide a device that is economically feasible, long lasting and relatively trouble-free in operation.
This invention is based on a novel concept for the holding and manipulating of watch movements, fine jewelry, including various gemstones; ceramic or composite circuit boards, small mechanical parts and the like. The vise system of the instant invention comprises two portions: a vise portion and an optional base portion; the former comprising a pair of opposing planar jaw faces relatively movable along a path extending therebetween and normal thereto, and the latter comprising a rigid, stabilizing base into which the vise portion contiguously fits. Various jaw accessories may be employed with the vise portion. For example, the jaw faces of the vise portion may be, e.g., covered with relatively thick panel members secured thereover and constructed of deformable, resilient material which will conform to the shape of a workpiece; the jaw faces having coaxial cylindrical recesses opening outwardly thereof with which openings formed through the panel members are registered and the openings are preferably centrally located in the jaws and substantially the same diameter as the recesses. Various maintenance and repair function supportive accessories are provided including support shanks in the construction thereof, the support shanks of the accessories are snugly receivable through the openings formed in the thick panel members and in the recesses opening outwardly of the opposing jaw surfaces. Further, in the generally upper position of said panels may be disposed one or a plurality of mutually coaxial, substantially circular apertures ranging in size from small, e.g., about 5 mm, to relatively large, e.g., about 20 mm, functioning as vise gripping areas. The apertures can be oval, oblong or other rounded shapes other than circular. More specifically, the smaller apertures in use, expose a larger surface of the held article as a working surface by gripping at closer contact points, while the larger apertures hold larger articles securely and expose most of the article""s surface as a work area. The workpiece is held in the vise by being positioned between the apertures of the same size on opposing sides of the vise.
In accordance with the present invention, a portable vise system comprises a vise portion and a base portion, the vise portion including a pair of jaws having generally planar and parallel opposing surfaces and supported for guided relative movement toward and away from each other along a path disposed substantially normal to the surfaces, preferably using screw means, the jaws having coaxial cylindrical recesses formed therein and opening outwardly of said surfaces and disposed substantially normal thereto, with one recess forming a horizontal bore through the jaw and the other forming a blind bore, these recesses being adapted to snugly but removably receive the supporting shank portions of one or two article-engaging jaw accessories thereon. The base portion is adapted to contiguously fit and house the vise portion in at least one working position, and conprises a bottom layer of skid-resistant material. One jaw can be fixed and the other movable by screw means.
Accessories for fitting in the jaws include jaw panel members, wedge tools, male and female adapters, flanged sleeves with arbor pins and adjustable arms with holding means. The panel members include openings therein which are substantially coaxial with and the same general diameter as the recesses in the jaws, one of the openings optionally being substantially rectangular in shape. The panel members further comprise at least one pair of mutually coaxial, substantially circular aperture near the upper surfaces of the panels.
The wedge tool accessory comprises a cylindrical member having a wedge-shaped end extending opposite a knurled shank adapted for functional combination with the recess in the fixed jaw of the vise, defining a sharpened wedge member for wedging between the adjacent portions of a watch back and case.
The female adapter accessory has base and free ends, the base end comprising a diametrically reduced shank poriton snugly but removably receivable through the openings and in the recesses in the vise jaws, the free end defining a shallow outwardly opening recess of generally circular cross-sectional shape, having a chamfered lip and having a larger diameter than a corresponding accessory to be fitted in the opposite jaw of the vise, and optionally having at least one indentation in the chamfered lip thereof, adapted to accomodate projections on a workpiece to be held.
The male adapter accessory also includes base and free ends, the base end including a shank as described above and the free end comprising a rounded terminal end nose. Optionally, the nose can include a rounded recess therein and a hole can extend longitudinally from nose to base end through the entire adapter.
The flanged sleeve with arbor pin comprises a flanged sleeve having an outwardly projecting integral shank portion snugly and removably receivable through and in the cylindrical recess in the moving vise jaw, the sleeve having a longitudinal hole adapted to slidingly accommodate an arbor pin having a base portion and a smaller pin portion.
The adjustable arm with holding means (or multidirectional holding arm) accessory comprises a cylindrical shaft having opposite ends, a rod with opposite ends running therethrough and a locking member, the opposite ends of the cylindrical shaft being removably and snugly receivable through and in at least one pair of cylindrical recesses in the vise jaws, the locking member being mounted on and engaging the cylindrical shaft and the rod to provide rotational and lengthwise rod adjustment. The holding means on one end of the rod can be a clip jaw holder or the like.
The present invention, when practiced as disclosed herein, securely grips watch movements and similar objects at any angle without causing damage thereto. This vise is applicable to all watches, watch movements, watchbands, fine jewelry, small mechanical parts, precious and semi-precious gem stones, and ceramic or composite circuit boards, as well as any other article requiring superior grip strength without causing damage. The instant invention thus is useful to facilitate the maintenance and repair of watches and watch movements, but is not intended to be limited to these uses. As a test, a prototype vise fitted with jaw inserts of high density polyethylene about 0.125 inch inch thick securely gripped a raw hen""s egg by its side surfaces (the weakest points) without causing any damage. Thus gripped, the egg was resistant to sliding or rotation. Thus gripped, the egg was resistant to movement by sliding or rotation.
A comparison of certain features and advantages of the xe2x80x9cnewxe2x80x9d vise of the present invention and the xe2x80x9coldxe2x80x9d or original vise of Applicant""s previous patent follows:
Jaw Panels: The old vise employed thin plastic panels intended for flat surface protection of the clamped object, rather than a holding feature; these relatively thin panels would not deform enough around a clamped object or its irregular surfaces to serve as an effective holding tool. The new vise employs relatively thick, deformable panels of high density polyethylene or other suitable materials to allow tight clamping of of objects in the vise without damage, through the panels deforming under pressure to fit the object and/or its surface irregularities exactly. The slight memory and refill abilities of the panels permit them to be reused a substantial number of times. The panels of the old vise did not have openings for holding clamped objects, other than the pass-through openings intended to hold the jaw accessories. The new vise features jaw panels with a plurality of substantially circular openings near the upper surfaces of the jaws and panels, designed to clamp objects of various shapes and sizes securely by gripping on a number of points on each side of the clamped object.
Wedge tool accessories: The wedge tool accessory used in the old vise to open press type watch backs was fixed in position, with no provision for adjustment for watches of different thicknesses or rotation of the accessory to align the wedge portion to fit the watch case being serviced. The new vise employs an improved wedge tool and jaw configuration which allows for vertical adjustment of the watch in the jaws to align with the wedge tool, via a vertical rectangular opening in one jaw. The wedge tool is adapted to extend through a hole in the vise jaw so that a knurled end can be manipulated to rotate the tool and adjust the wedge portion to align between the watch case and its back. In addition, this extended portion of the wedge tool can be gently tapped to aid in removal of a watch back once the tool is properly positioned and aligned with respect to the watch case.
Accessory cups or female adapters: Since the old vise was intended for use with digital watches without protruding stems or crowns, the female adapters disclosed had no provision to accomodate such projecting components. The female adapters of the present invention include at least one cutout portion on the lip edge to accomodate the crown or other projections when pressure is exerted on the watch case, thus protecting the stem, crown or the like from damage. Pressure on a watch crown can break the stem, rendering various setting features of the watch useless.
Watchband disassembly: The old vise did not include any accessory for pressing out pins from watchbands or similar services. The vise of the present invention includes a flanged sleeve accessory which accepts an arbor pin having a slim tip adapted to enter watch band links to remove the pins, thus allowing the removal of links to resize the watchband. The process is descibed below.
Skid resistant base: The old vise lacked a base component, so had to be fastened by a vise or clamp on a bench or other work surface in a fixed work site. The vise of the present invention is portable, featuring a skid resistant base which accomodates the vise in at least one recess formed therein, thus allowing the vise to be positioned in at least one suitable working position at almost any work site.
All embodiments of the instant invention include the same general methodologies, objects and elements; an improved vise system with component-engaging jaws and accessories; and may further comprise customizing features and specifications. Other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying figures and appended claims, which illustrate by way of example, the principles of the instant invention. Like numerals are used to identify like parts in the various figures. For clarity and better illustration of the features of the invention, certain components may be omitted in some views, and certain components may be shown in exaggerated scales.